In the city was annexed by Prussia and in it became part of Germany. Kiel was one of the founding cities of original European Green Capital Award in Kiel Fjord and Kiel as a village was probably first settled by Vikings who wanted to colonise the land which they had raided, and for many years they settled in German villages.

This is evidenced by the geography and architecture of the fjord. Being a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and was situated only a few kilometres south of the Danish border.

Kiel, the capital of the county later duchy of Holstein , was a member of the Hanseatic League from until it was expelled in for harbouring pirates.

In , the Kieler Umschlag trade fair was first held, which became the central market for goods and money in Schleswig-Holstein, until it began to lose significance from on, being held for the last time in , until recently, when it has been restarted.

From to , the town belonged to the king of Denmark. However, because the king ruled Holstein as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire only through a personal union , the town was not incorporated as part of Denmark proper.

Thus Kiel belonged to Germany, but it was ruled by the Danish king. Even though the empire was abolished in , the Danish king continued to rule Kiel only through his position as Duke of Holstein, which became a member of the German Confederation in After the war, Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but the Austro-Prussian War in led to the formation of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in The Imperial shipyard Kiel was established in in the town.

Emperor Wilhelm II became its commodore in Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel very quickly increased in size in the following years, from 18, in to about , in Much of the old town centre and other surroundings were levelled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city.

Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which sparked the German Revolution in late Just before the end of the First World War, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to be sent out on a last great battle with the Royal Navy.

The sailors, who thought of this as a suicide mission which would have no effect on the outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to leave the safety of the port.

The sailors' actions and the lack of response of the government to them, fuelled by an increasingly critical view of the Kaiser, sparked a revolution which caused the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the Weimar Republic.

During the Second World War , Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich.

There was also a slave labour camp for the local industry. Although the town was beyond the stop-line set for the western Allies in the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath , it and its port, its scientists, and the canal were seized by a British T-Force led by Major Tony Hibbert on 5 May Just like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war.

In , Kiel was named the seat of government for Schleswig-Holstein , and it officially became the state's capital in Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, submarine construction and one of the three leading institutions in the field of marine sciences in Europe, the IFM-GEOMAR.

The Kieler Umschlag is another festival, which has been taking place again since Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including the University of Kiel , which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state.

Kiel has an oceanic climate Cfb in the Köppen climate classification. The city districts of Düsternbrook, Schreventeich, Ravensberg and Blücherplatz are popular places to live with many 19th century buildings, villas and tree-lined streets.

The government offices, ministries and parliament of the state of Schleswig-Holstein are also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook.

In contrast to the heavy bomb damage inflicted on the central parts of the city during the Second World War , most of the residential areas were not severely damaged.

There are plans for large-scale improvement and building efforts for the inner city, providing better pavements, better access to and view of the waterfront, and a generally more attractive feel to the place.

These plans, most notably the "Kleiner Kiel Kanal", a restoration of a historic canal that was filled in to make place for road infrastructure, are to be implemented in the next few years.

Kiel is Schleswig-Holstein 's largest city, and therefore Kiel's shopping district is a major attraction, and will see further improvement and renovation efforts in the upcoming years.

The Rathaus town hall , which was built in , has an operating paternoster and the design of its tower was based on one in Venice.

The square in front of it is bordered by a lake and the Opera House. There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, e.

As Kiel is situated near the sea, the beaches to the north of Kiel such as Strande , Kiel- Schilksee , Möltenort and Laboe are also popular places to visit in spring and summer.

Kiel Week , more properly known in English as Kiel Regatta, is the largest sailing event in the world and takes place every year in the last full week in June.

Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event.

There are a number of yachting and sailing clubs in picturesque settings. Kiel also features a number of museums, including zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial and military museums.

Notable is the Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum Warleberger Hof City and Maritime Museum , which belongs to the association museen am meer.

In addition to preserving architecture from the 16th century and historic rooms with painted stucco ceilings, it displays urban and cultural exhibits of the 19th and 20th centuries.

There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably the Sparkassen-Arena formerly known as Baltic Sea Hall or Ostseehalle , which is the home ground of one of the most successful team handball clubs in the world and multiple German champion, THW Kiel.

There is currently no Bundesliga football club in Kiel, but 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel plays at Holstein-Stadion. The University of Kiel German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität , which was founded by Duke Christian Albrecht in , is with round about Besides these there are other educational institutions such as the Fachhochschule Kiel founded in and the Muthesius School of Arts founded in The Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-Holstein offers besides advanced training at the Berfusakademie dual study courses for economists, business information specialists and industrial engineers.

Noteworthy as departmental research institute is the federal institute for dairy research which was merged into the Max-Rubner-Institut together with other institutions in The state capital Kiel is a corporative sponsoring member of the Max Planck Society.

There are twelve Gymnasium s in Kiel, of which the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, founded in as a humanistic gymnasium, is the oldest.

Other secondary schools are amongst others the Gymnasium Elmschenhagen and the Max-Planck-Schule with a focus on natural sciences and the Ricarda-Huch-Schule with a focus on languages.

Furthermore, there are many comprehensive schools — partially with secondary schools — all over the city area and private schools, too.

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